Department for Work and Pensions

Youth Services: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hub work coaches are employed by his Department as of 19 June 2023; and how many were employed on the same date in (a) 2022 and (b) 2021.

Mims Davies: Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer which also includes the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Employability Coaches. Youth Hubs across Great Britain bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work. The support offered in a Youth Hub is dependent on local needs and includes skills, training, employment provision and dedicated support services. Due to changes in claimant needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs and their required Youth Hub Work Coach resource may therefore fluctuate, as claimants access wider Youth Offer support. The figures included offer a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of Youth Hub Work Coaches. As some Youth Hub Work Coaches may work part-time in a Youth Hub, or across multiple Youth Hubs, we do not expect this number to be equivalent to the number of Youth Hub sites.  Role ABM FTE  May-23May-22May-21Youth Hub Work Coach100140140  Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM) Notes:   Data is correct as of end of May 2021, 2022, and 2023.Data is drawn as at the end of each month. Therefore, the end of May figure has been used for 2021 and 2022, and for consistency the same has been used for 2023.Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. They have been rounded to the nearest 10.The number of Youth Hub Work Coaches is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.Youth Employability Coaches and other Jobcentre staff may also work from Youth Hubs which is not reflected in this data.

Youth Services: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on Youth Hubs in each financial year since they were launched; and how much his Department is forecast to spend on Youth Hubs in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25, (c) 2025-26, (d) 2026-27 and (e) 2027-28.

Mims Davies: Youth Hubs are run in partnership with, and are hosted in the premises of, partner organisations. Where appropriate, partners can submit a grant application to receive funding to support the operational running of a Youth Hub. However, not all Youth Hubs are supported by grant funding and others will have identified alternative funding, e.g. Community Renewal Funds, to establish Hubs. The information regarding the Department’s spend on grants to support the opening and operation of Youth Hubs in each financial year since they were launched is not held. The indicative Youth Hub Work Coach costs for the previous three financial years are: 2020/2021 - £1.1m2021/2022 - £5.4m2022/2023 - £4.8m NB:This excludes estates, digital, support and other operations costs.This data is derived from DWP's Activity Based Model (ABM) and/or Departmental Activity Based Model (DABM) and is unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only. It has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards.The data is frequently revised and changes to definitions / benefits / DWP structure effect comparisons over time. It should therefore be treated with caution and must be seen as an indication of cost, rather than the actual cost.Youth Employability Coaches and other Jobcentre staff may also work from Youth Hubs which is not reflected in this data. The forecast spend for Youth Hubs for the current Spending Review period is as follows: 2023/2024 - £11.5m2024/2025 - £13.0m NB:These figures include costs for Youth Hub Work Coaches and additional funding to support Community Grants through the Flexible Support Fund, for the operational running of Youth Hubs.These forecast figures are subject to revision and final costs will be subject to demand. The Spring Budget 2023 committed to the extension of the Youth Offer until 2028, funding beyond 2024/2025 will be determined by a future spending review.

Youth Services: Location

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of Youth Hub locations in Great Britain as of 19 June 2023.

Mims Davies: Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer which also includes the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Employability Coaches. Youth Hubs across Great Britain bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus work coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work. The support offered in a Youth Hub is dependent on local needs and includes skills, training, employment provision and dedicated support services. The below list of open Youth Hubs is valid as of 19 June 2023. Due to changes in local needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs may therefore fluctuate.GroupYouth Hub NameCentral and West ScotlandGlasgow Central Based East Youth Hub Glasgow Kelvin College Youth Hub Glasgow/Central Base/Youth Hub Invest Youth Hub Kilmarnock Youth HubEast and North ScotlandAberdeen NESCol Youth Hub Alloa FV College Campus Youth Hub Dundee and Angus College Kingsway Dundee Angus Dundee Helm Dundee Street League Youth Hub Elgin Youth Employability Hub @ Moray Pathways Forth Valley College Stirling Community Enterprise Youth Hub West Fife Youth Hub West Lothian CollegeLondon & EssexBarking BLC Youth Hub Enfield / Youth Hub Grays Inspire Youth Hub Hackney Youth Hub Hammersmith & Fulham Youth Hub Haringey Youth Hub Islington / Youth Hub Make It Happen Youth Hub Opportunity Space (Greenwich and Bexley) Opportunity Space Lewisham Westminster/ Youth HubNorth and East MidlandsHarworth Leicester Youth Hub Lincoln / The Network / Youth Hub Northampton Youth Hub Norwich YES DerbyshireNorth Central EnglandAccrington Youth Hub Barnsley Youth Hub Barrow Youth Hub Blackpool Youth Hub Bradford / Vibe / Youth Hub Burnley Thrive Youth Hub Crossfield House Youth Hub Dewsbury Youth Hub Doncaster Youth Hub Fleetwood Youth Hub Hemsworth Youth Hub Huddersfield Youth Hub Keighley Vibe Kendal/Youth Hub Leeds Dewsbury Road Pendle Yes Youth Hub Penrith Youth Hub Rotherham Community & Employment Youth Hub Sheffield East Youth Hub Sheffield South East Youth Hub Sheffield South Youth Hub Sheffield Specialist Youth Hub Sheffield United Community Foundation Youth Hub Sheffield Wednesday Youth Hub Skelmersdale Youth Hub Wakefield Youth Hub Whitehaven/Youth Hub Workington/Youth HubNorth East EnglandDarlington/Youth Hub Durham LA/Peterlee/Youth Hub Durham Works DurhamLA/Stanley/Youth Hub Hartlepool/Enterprise Centre/Youth Hub Redcar & Cleveland/Grangetown/Youth Hub Stockton/Youth HubNorth West EnglandAltrincham Youth Hub Ellergreen/North/Youth Hub Farnworth Youth Hub Halton Youth Hub Hyde & Denton Youth Hub Leigh Youth Hub Liverpool Reach Youth Hub Liverpool/MYA/Youth Hub Liverpool/Thrive/Youth Hub Manchester Youth Hub Merseyside Community Training (Quinnovations) Oldham Youth Hub Partington Youth Hub Power in partnership (Widnes) Rochdale Youth Hub Sefton Youth Hub - The Big Onion St Helens Youth Hub Stockport Youth Hub Westhoughton Youth Hub Wigan Youth HubSouth East EnglandAddlestone Youth Hub Ashford Youth Hub Brighton and Hove Youth Hub Brooklands College Youth Hub Camberley Youth Hub Crawley Youth Hub Epsom Youth Hub Hastings Youth Hub Rosehill Community Centre Youth Hub Staines Elmsleigh Centre Woking Youth Hub Worthing Youth HubSouth West EnglandBristol Youth Hub Havant Youth Hub Plymouth Youth Hub Southampton Central Youth HubWalesCwmbran All About Youth Hub Newport Central Youth Hub Newport East Youth Hub Newport North All About Youth Swansea Youth HubWest MidlandsBilston YH Birmingham Library Youth Hub Birmingham Lighthouse Youth Hub Birmingham South Youth Hub Coventry Job shop Youth Hub Dudley Skills Shop Youth Hub Solihull Youth Hub Telford Youth Hub Wolverhampton The Way Youth Hub Worcester County Council

Youth Services: Unemployed People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers (a) were referred to and (b) engaged with Youth Hub services (i) in 2021-22, (ii) in 2022-23 and (iii) between 1 April 2023 and 19 June 2023.

Mims Davies: The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches and Youth Hubs across Great Britain. Young people are referred to the most appropriate part of the Youth Offer depending on their individual circumstances.   FY21/22FY22/2301 April – 31 May 2023Youth Offer278,100284,80044,100Youth Employment Programme253,600266,00040,500Youth Hub14,60014,7002,100Youth Employability Coach21,50018,1002,300  Notes: A claimant can start on multiple strands of the Youth Offer. E.g. a claimant can enrol on the Youth Employment Programme and be referred to a Youth Hub. Therefore, the sum of those enrolled on the Youth Employment Programme, referred to a Youth Hub and referred to a Youth Employability Coach will be greater than the total number of individuals supported by the Youth Offer for each financial year.A claimant can start on the Youth Offer multiple times. E.g. a claimant could be referred to a Youth Hub in FY21/22 and referred to a Youth Employability Coach in FY22/23. Therefore, some individuals will be included in the totals for more than one financial year.This data is produced from a manual process and although care is taken when processing and analysing Youth Hub and Youth Employability Coach referrals, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system which features manual data. Therefore, Youth Hub and Youth Employability Coach figures are likely to underestimate the number of young people who have received Youth Hub and/or Youth Employability Coach support.When a claimant enrols on the Youth Employment Programme or is referred to a Youth Hub or Youth Employability Coach they are classified as having started on the Youth Offer. We do not have a separate measure of engagement.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Jobcentres and Youth Services: Employment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) Youth Hub and (b) Jobcentre support in helping young jobseekers into employment.

Mims Davies: The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group. This includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work, and Youth Hubs across Great Britain.The Youth Offer is subject to a Process Evaluation, with full findings expected to be shared internally by late 2023. This will inform any improvements or future changes to the Youth Offer policy. The evaluation plans involve hearing from young people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, and those that work with them, on the services they receive via Youth Hubs and Jobcentres to understand their effectiveness and enable us to make improvements as appropriate. There are plans for an impact assessment of the effectiveness of the Youth Offer whose findings will be shared internally once available.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the removal of the spare bedroom subsidy on levels of spending on (a) housing benefit and (b) discretionary housing payments in Wales in each year since April 2013.

Mims Davies: The Department has not made an assessment of the full impact of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy on levels of spending on Housing Benefit (HB). We estimate that the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) policy, between May 2013 and February 2023, has seen deductions from Housing Benefit (HB) expenditure in Wales of £190 million. This is broken down for each financial year below: Financial Year Total RSRS deductions for HB in Wales 2013/14*£21m2014/15£22m2015/16£22m2016/17£22m2017/18£22m2018/19£21m2019/20£18m2020/21£16m2021/22£14m2022/23*£12m *These years do not include the full 12 months. 2013/14 excludes April 2013 as there is no data for this month. 2022/23 excludes March 2023 as this data is not yet available. This estimate is based on those households with the RSRS deduction applied. For a full impact assessment, the behavioural impact of the policy would need to be considered, for example where households with a spare bedroom have moved to a right-sized property. As asked for the total RSRS deductions are for Housing Benefit only, and do not include deductions for those in receipt of the Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE). Over the time period shown there has been migration of cases from HB to UCHE, and the majority of new claims for housing support for those of working age will be for UCHE since its introduction. The impact of the RSRS on Discretionary Housing Payment spending has not been fully assessed. DHP funding has historically been distributed using four funding streams based on DWPs best measures of housing need, these are Local expenditure on Housing Benefit (HB)/Universal Credit Housing Element (UCHE), Local Housing Allowance (LHA) shortfalls, RSRS deductions and Benefit Cap deductions. Although the funding is distributed using this broad methodology, local authorities spend according to their own criteria. As part of annual returns LAs include a breakdown of their expenditure by measure including RSRS, though DHP stats include this breakdown only at national level.The overall RSRS expenditure reported to DWP by Welsh Local Authorities between April 2013 and March 2022 has been over £30 million. This is broken down for each financial year below:Financial YearRSRS Expenditure in DHP by Local Authorities in WalesPercentage of LA’s information is available for2013-14£3,116,49873%2014-15£4,427,27586%2015-16£3,045,02477%2016-17£3,360,02582%2017-18£3,062,74577%2018-19£3,204,90586%2019-20£2,821,18082%2020-21£3,702,17391%2021-22£4,247,069100% * Monitoring returns were not provided by all local authorities; for those that did, not all could provide the detailed breakdownThis table shows the expenditure of Welsh LAs on DHPS in respect to RSRS, not what DWP provide to Welsh LAs as a contribution of funding DHPs. DHP statistics are available online:Discretionary Housing Payments statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a review of the under-occupancy penalty.

Mims Davies: There are no plans to review the Removal of the Spare Room policy. The policy applies to claims for housing support where the claimant is living in the social rented sector in a property that is deemed too large for their needs. The policy aims to strengthen work incentives and seeks to encourage greater mobility within the social rented sector. There are easements to the policy which allow for the provision of an additional bedroom in certain circumstances, such as to support the needs of disabled people. Pensioners in receipt of Housing Benefit are exempt from the policy. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available for those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. Since 2011 we have provided nearly £1.6 billion in funding to local authorities for DHPs.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of the suspension period was for benefit claimants who had their benefits suspended and then reinstated by the Risk Review team.

Tom Pursglove: Individual data is not captured on average suspension periods and would be disproportionate in cost to identify this information. The Risk Review Team (RRT) complete a review of eligibility and entitlement, we engage with customers to request evidence to determine entitlement. The length of time it takes to review the case to allow the claim to be reinstated will depend on the cooperation from the claimant engaging with RRT and providing accurate documentation. We have a process in place, where we make three attempts via telephone to engage with the customer, giving 48 hours’ notice between calls, these calls are booked in advance via the customers Universal Credit account, if there is no engagement from the customer, a claim can be closed after 30 plus 1 day from RRT starting their review.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (a) face-to-face, (b) remotely and (c) on paper in each month since 1 September 2022.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (a) face-to-face, (b) remotely and (c) on paper in each month since 1 September 2022.

Tom Pursglove: The number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments carried out (a) face to face (b) remotely (this includes telephone and video) and (c) paper based can be found in the tables below. For the months from September 2022 to May 2023 (the latest month figures are available) the number of assessments per channel are:  Month Face-to-Face  Remote Paper-Based Sep-226,44062,53015,540Oct-227,08065,38015,990Nov-227,54071,15018,340Dec-225,26052,53013,810Jan-236,15072,80017,750Feb-236,88065,81017,420Mar-237,21078,13020,200Apr-236,61059,68016,260May-237,29068,46018,600 The channel proportion is: Month Face-to-Face  Remote Paper-Based Sep-227.6%74.0%18.4%Oct-228.0%73.9%18.1%Nov-227.8%73.3%18.9%Dec-227.3%73.4%19.3%Jan-236.4%75.3%18.4%Feb-237.6%73.0%19.3%Mar-236.8%74.0%19.1%Apr-238.0%72.3%19.7%May-237.7%72.6%19.7% Please note: All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10;Percentages may not always total 100% due to rounding;All of the above data is derived from management information produced by the assessment providers; andThe above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of families in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London that have been subject to the two-child benefit limit for each year since 2015.

Guy Opperman: The policy that provides support for a maximum of 2 children in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit came into effect in April 2017, therefore statistics are only available from 2018. Between April 2019 and April 2020 there was the most notable increase across GB due to the Covid spike in claims and the gateway for families with 3+ children being able to apply for UC opening in February 2019. The available statistics for Enfield North Constituency are provided in the table below. Number of UC Households affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children – households not receiving a child element for at least one child Apr-18Apr-19Apr-20Apr-21Apr-222050250440590 The available statistics for the London Borough of Enfield are provided in the table below. Number of UC Households affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children – households not receiving a child element for at least one child Apr-18Apr-19Apr-2030120640 The available statistics for London are provided in the table below. Number of UC Households affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children – households not receiving a child element for at least one child Apr-18Apr-19Apr-202,0003,01012,830 Statistics for regions and local authorities have been published routinely since 2021: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)  Notes:Base: Those in receipt of Universal Credit, at 2 April between 2018 and 2022Figures are rounded to the nearest 10Region/Local Authority/Parliamentary Constituency is derived using postcode lookup data against the claimant address, however, is not present for all households in this data sourceBetween April 2019 and April 2020 there was the most notable increase across GB due to the Covid spike in claims and the gateway for families with 3+ children being able to apply for UC opening in February 2019.Geography data has been updated since the April 2022 publication so figures may differ slightly

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Question

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on undertaking a review of voter ID.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on undertaking a review of voter ID.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 185924 on 30th May 2023.

Local Government: Cheshire

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will meet council representatives from Cheshire and Warrington to discuss devolution for the area.

Dehenna Davison: The Government remains committed to further extending devolution across England. We will continue to work with local government in England to roll out new mayoral combined authorities, combined county authorities, and county deals. Discussions with places to identify potential candidates for the next set of devolution deals are already underway.The Government is particularly interested in exploring opportunities for devolution deals that will empower local leaders and communities where places want a directly elected leader or mayor, in line with the devolution framework published in the Levelling Up White Paper. Our existing mayors are already driving economic growth, improving public services and giving local areas a real voice on the national stage.The Secretary of State set out in his Convention of the North speech his ambitions for Cheshire and Warrington. I have agreed to meet with council leaders to discuss their devolution ambitions in the coming weeks, following recent local elections.

Levelling Up Fund: Strangford

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding was allocated to rugby clubs in Strangford constituency as part of the Levelling Up Fund in the last 12 months.

Dehenna Davison: A list of all successful Round 2 Levelling Up Fund projects can be found on gov.uk. The Ulster Rugby project will support clubs in 29 locations across Northern Ireland including Ards RFC club in Strangford, which will receive up to £110,700.

Investment Zones: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Economy on an investment zone in Northern Ireland; and when he plans to introduce such a zone in Northern Ireland.

Dehenna Davison: The lack of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive has, of course, limited the scope and nature of engagement in Northern Ireland on Investment Zones. Although my officials meet with officials from the Department for Economy regularly, there is no Economy Minister to drive this work forward in Northern Ireland. In the event of a restoration of the Executive, we anticipate that an Investment Zone could be taken forward rapidly. In the event that the Executive is not formed, we will set out our plans in due course.

Local Government Finance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 128 of the Levelling Up White Paper, published on 2 February 2022, CP 604, what progress he has made on streamlining grants to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Dehenna Davison: The Levelling Up White Paper recognised that the number of different local growth funds has become difficult for Councils. We have taken steps to address this.For example, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocated multi-year funding, enabling local decision makers to target the priorities in their local places. The Levelling Up Fund consolidates several previously separate funds to provide cross-departmental capital investment in local infrastructure.At Budget we also announced new trailblazer deals for Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities. Central to these deals is a commitment for both authorities to benefit from a new, department-style single settlement from the next spending review.We are committed to reforming the broader current landscape, to deliver a simpler and more transparent funding system for local authorities across the UK. We will set out our next steps in due course.

Conditions of Employment: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to encourage (a) businesses and (b) organisations in Greater Manchester to sign up to the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.

Dehenna Davison: Greater Manchester's Good Employment Charter is an initiative conceived by partners in the region. It is an example of how devolution can empower local leaders to create initiatives that are locally driven. The Government remains committed to empowering local places and leaders through the creation of more devolution deals across England.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Vodafone Group

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment their Department has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on their Department's contracts with Vodafone.

Dehenna Davison: The Department has no contracts with Vodafone and has therefore made no assessment of the potential effect of the merger between Vodafone and Three.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Dehenna Davison: Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer's duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.In 2006, DWP took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. This removed the need for DWP staff to apply for Access to Work. DLUHC has since also assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for its staff and has its own provisions in place for this.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: EU Law

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department holds searchable IT archives (a) of Regulatory Impact Analysis estimates for EU-sourced regulation and (b) employing the search term out of scope relating to changes to regulatory burdens that could not be reviewed due to EU origin.

Dehenna Davison: The information requested is not held centrally.All available regulatory impact assessments should be publicly accessible on legislation.gov.uk, alongside the relevant piece of legislation.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Afghan refugees who are in hotels can apply for homelessness with any local authority.

Felicity Buchan: We recognise the work of local authorities up and down the country in providing housing and integration support to enable Afghan families to begin their new lives in the UK. All Afghan arrivals via the ARAP and ACRS schemes have had the right to work and receive benefits from the first day of their arrival, as well as access to public services which includes housing and homelessness assistance.Under homelessness legislation, the first local authority approached will need to take a homelessness application and assess what duties are owed. The council can then consider if a local connection referral is appropriate. In cases where there is no local connection, but there is a local connection to a different local authority; they may refer the household back to where they do have a local connection.

Boilers: Hydrogen

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the consultation on the technical specification of the Future Homes Standard on the use of hydrogen-ready boilers for new homes.

Lee Rowley: The Government has confirmed that we will consult in due course as part of the development of the Future Homes Standard, with its introduction planned for 2025.

Regional Planning and Development: Aarhus Convention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the provisions of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on the UK's obligations under Article (a) 6 and (b) 7 of the Aarhus Convention.

Rachel Maclean: The Government remains committed to the Aarhus Convention and its requirements for public participation in decision making relating to the environment. The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill will improve opportunities for public involvement in planning by making procedures more accessible and digital, while maintaining opportunities to comment on plans and planning applications. National Development Management Policies will also be subject to appropriate and any necessary consultation before they are introduced.

Housing: Construction

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of Right to Build legislation on demand for self and custom build housing development.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to help expand the development of self- and custom-build housing.

Rachel Maclean: The Government strongly believes that self and custom build housing can play a crucial role as part of a wider package of measures to boost home ownership and diversify the housing market as well as helping to deliver the homes people want.We have put in place a number of interventions to support the sector, including the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding legislation, sometimes known as 'the Right to Build', which is focussed on bringing forward more land. In the last reporting period to October 2022, local authorities reported that there was a total of 63,662 individuals and 807 associations on the register in total.The Government has also provided access to developer finance through the Levelling up Home Building Fund; provided support for local authorities to bring forward self and custom build projects through the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Right to Build Task Force; and provided access to affordable mortgage finance through the Help to Build: Equity Loan Scheme.In 2021 the Government commissioned Richard Bacon MP to undertake a review to establish a plan to scale up self and custom build housing. The Government published its response to these recommendations in June 2022.

Leasehold: Pets

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals affecting (a) master-leases, (b) all ownership master-leases and (c) shared freehold apartment blocks to help prevent blanket-bans on domesticated animals.

Rachel Maclean: The government recognises that pets can bring joy, happiness, and comfort to their owners, as well as supporting their mental and physical wellbeing. The ability of a leaseholder to keep a pet will depend on the terms of individual leases.We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this Parliament. Whilst we cannot set out the precise details of a bill at this stage, we have been clear about our commitment to addressing the historic imbalance in the leasehold system.

Students: Housing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the exemption in the Renters Reform Bill to allow fixed term tenancies for purpose built student accommodation to include all student accommodation.

Rachel Maclean: The Department is carefully considering the impact of our reforms on the student housing market. We recognise there is a general annual lettings cycle and are considering solutions, such as a ground for possession that enables landlords to guarantee vacant possession for next year's tenants. Any solution needs to balance the needs of both students and landlords, and we will continue to engage with the sector. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.

Tenants' Associations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what meetings he had with tenants unions and associations in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what meetings he had with the National Residential Landlords Association in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what areas were covered during his meeting with the Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association on 1 March 2023.

Rachel Maclean: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk, including details of the topic discussed.

Housing: Evictions

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the average cost of housing a person evicted under a section 21 notice for (a) each local authority in England and (b) the Government in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: It is not possible to break down expenditure by cause of homelessness.

Prisoners' Release: Housing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Fund Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the CG-Near Neighbours Initiative Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Changing Futures (Multiple Complex Needs) Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Changing Places Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Cladding Remediation Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Community Champions Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Community Housing Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Community Ownership Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Delivery Innovation Fund (Dev Corps).

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Affordable Housing programme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Bacon Review grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Building Capabilities for Local Regulators grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the West Midlands Combined Authority Devolution Deal grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures Phase three, four and five grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Community Based English Language grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Expansion of Waking Watch Relief Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Flood Recovery Framework schemes.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the freeports fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Future High Streets Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Future Homes Hub.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of funding for the Garden Communities programme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Gypsy Roma Travellers Strategy grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Holocaust Awareness Raising grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Holocaust Educational Trust Content Development grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Homes 2030 grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the funding for Housing First pilots.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Infrastructure for Commonwealth Games grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Interfaith Network grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Land Assembly Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the Cyber Security Resilience grant.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 188581 on 14 June 2023.

Department of Health and Social Care

Department of Health and Social Care: Empty Property

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 187396 on Department of Health and Social Care: Empty Property, if he will provide a breakdown of each property's (a) original use or purpose, (b) location and (c) reason for vacancy.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Maria Caulfield: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The Department had eight policies included in the National Disability Strategy.The following commitments have been fully implemented, working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, invest £71 million in the Care and Supported Housing Fund (CASSH) Fund (2021-22), work with disabled people and disability organisations at every stage of social care reform, NHS England to expand Learning from lives and deaths, people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) programme to include autistic people by March 2022, the Home Office and the Department will jointly lead a review into the protections and support available to adults abused in their own homes by people providing their care, coordinating inputs from wider Government, disabled people, carers organisations and other interested parties, following an independent review of the Disabled Facilities Grant published in December 2018, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department of Health and Social Care will jointly publish new government guidance for local authorities in England on effective delivery of the £573 million Disabled Facilities Grant in 2021.The following commitment has been partially implemented, subject to evaluation, the Department to make training on autism and learning disability available for all 2.7 million health and adult social care staff. The following commitment has not yet been implemented, develop an autism public understanding initiative by autumn 2021. The following commitment has been paused; establish a new disability data working group in 2021 to improve health and social care data.We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the Department will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Contraceptives: Prescriptions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the women’s health ambassador for England on disparities in birth control prescriptions.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers and officials have regular discussion with the Women’s Health Ambassador on a range of issues.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines have met the criteria for causation but failed because of a finding that the resulting disablement was less than 60 per cent; and in how many of those cases the disablement was (a) 50 per cent or over, (b) 40 per cent or over and (c) 25 per cent or over.

Maria Caulfield: Out of all claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) relating to COVID-19 vaccines, there have been 157 where causation on the balance of probabilities was accepted but disablement was assessed at less than 60% and the claim was therefore rejected. Of these 157 rejected claims, 41 were 25-39%, 23 were 40-49% and 6 were 50-59%, 86 were under 25% and one was reported as under 60% disablement without a range included in the medical assessment report.

Sodium Valproate

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is taking steps to investigate the potential effect of valproate on men and their fertility.

Maria Caulfield: Valproate is a medicine authorised for the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder. The product information for all medicines is approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The product information for valproate containing medicines has listed male infertility as a possible side effect since 2011.In 2021, the MHRA reviewed the totality of data on the risk of male infertility associated with valproate including evidence for reversibility of effects. Although the data are limited, the valproate product information was updated in 2021 to advise that male infertility is usually reversible after treatment discontinuation and may be reversible after dose reduction. However, in some cases, the reversibility of male infertility was unknown.The underlying biological mechanism is currently uncertain, but animal data on valproate show toxicity to testicular tissue structure and function. MHRA keeps all data under review and is investigating the clinical relevance of these data with the marketing authorisation holders.

Clinical Trials

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many participants were recruited to industry-sponsored clinical trials in each of the National Institute for Health and Care Research's Local Clinical Research Networks in 2022-23.

Will Quince: A total of 32,328 participants were recruited into industry sponsored clinical trials in England in 2022/23 which were supported by the National Institute for Health Research and Clinical Research Network (CRN). The following table shows a breakdown of the number by Local CRN. Local CRN2022/23East Midlands1716East of England2,579Eastern0Greater Manchester3,449Kent, Surrey and Sussex847North East and North Cumbria2,571North Thames2,723North West Coast1,840North West London3,216South London2,255South West Peninsula1,807Thames Valley and South Midlands1,432Wessex1,692West Midlands2,507West of England1,262Yorkshire and Humber2,432Total32,328

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust: Gender Identity Development Service

Miriam Cates: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the last new paediatric patient attended their first appointment at the Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust gender and identity development service.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not held centrally. However, no new first assessment appointments have been offered by the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust since the end of March 2023.

Abortion

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the effectiveness of the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022 on the early medical termination of pregnancies at home.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022 on the early medical termination of pregnancies at home.

Maria Caulfield: There are no current plans to review or hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022.

NHS: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to (a) release funding for winter planning and (b) set out priorities for winter pressures for the NHS in 2023-24.

Will Quince: We have already published our delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency services, which set out the priorities and actions to be taken to support and improve performance this year, including during the winter period. This includes the ambition to improve accident and emergency wait times to 76% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours by March 2024, and reduce Category 2 response times to 30 minutes on average this year. The plan is backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding to support additional NHS capacity. We will continue to work closely with NHS England on the focus and priorities.

Health Professions: Standards

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department has removed health impairment as a head of impairment in fitness to practice proceedings before professional regulatory tribunals.

Will Quince: The Government response to the 2021 policy consultation ‘Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public’ confirmed its commitment to introducing two consistent grounds for action for all healthcare professional regulators. This will provide clarity to the public, registrants, and regulators on the circumstances in which fitness to practise action can be taken. The proposed ground for action, ‘inability to provide care to a sufficient standard’, will include health concerns that have impacted or may impact a registrant’s ability to practise safely. It will ensure that regulators’ fitness to practise investigations into health matters focus on whether a health condition impairs the professional to the extent that they cannot provide care to a sufficient standard, rather than requiring regulatory action in matters which do not impede safe practise.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nightingale hospitals were constructed during the covid-19 pandemic; and what the total cost was of those facilities.

Will Quince: There were seven temporary Nightingale hospitals constructed during financial year 2020/21 and the total cost for the Nightingale hospital programme in that year was £362 million.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of ear syringing treatment through the NHS in West London; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has not assessed the availability of ear syringing treatment on the NHS in West London. In June 2018 the National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guidance ‘Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management’ so that it no longer recommends manual ear wax syringing. This is due to risks associated with the treatment such as trauma to their ear drum or infection. Instead, NICE guidance suggests alternative arrangements, such as ear irrigation using an electronic irrigator, micro suction, or another method of earwax removal, such as manual removal using a probe.

Rheumatology: Health Services

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the skill mix in primary care to (a) diagnose, (b) treat and (c) manage (i) musculoskeletal and (ii) rheumatic conditions.

Neil O'Brien: General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including for MSK and rheumatic conditions, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the Good Medical Practice (GMC). In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.We remain committed to growing and diversifying the general practice workforce, through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and practices have recruited over 29,000 additional staff including first contact physiotherapists and occupational therapists, hitting the Government's target to recruit 26,000 a year ahead of the March 2024 target. These practitioners can help with the diagnosis, treatment and management MSK and rheumatic conditions.

Rheumatology: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to improve the mix of skills in primary care to help diagnose, treat and manage musculoskeletal health and rheumatic conditions.

Neil O'Brien: General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including for MSK and rheumatic conditions, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the Good Medical Practice (GMC). In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.We remain committed to growing and diversifying the general practice workforce, through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and practices have recruited over 29,000 additional staff including first contact physiotherapists and occupational therapists, hitting the Government's target to recruit 26,000 a year ahead of the March 2024 target. These practitioners can help with the diagnosis, treatment and management MSK and rheumatic conditions.

Care Homes: Costs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the impact of the cost of living on people in receipt of Personal Allowances to purchase care.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made on this. Direct payments are the mechanism by which an adult receiving local authority funded support with their care costs can receive their personal budget in order to commission their own care. Local authorities are responsible for determining how best to meet the eligible care and support needs of individuals, in line with the Care and Support Statutory guidance, and for ensuring that the amount set in a personal budget is sufficient to meet those needs.To support those in receipt of care and support with cost-of-living pressures, the Government has increased the Minimum Income Guarantee and Personal Expenses Allowance in line with CPI inflation at 10.1% allowing them to keep more of their income. Additionally, Government has ensured that new cost-of-living payments must not be considered as regular income, allowing individuals to benefit from the cost-of-living support in full.

Hospitals: Discharges

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve management of delayed discharges.

Helen Whately: Reducing delayed discharge is an urgent Government priority. On 30 January 2023 the Department and NHS England, published the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services. This included a series of measures to improve hospital discharges, including improvements to the planning and organisation of discharges for patients with more complex needs, and implementing new approaches to rehabilitation and recovery in community settings.Building on the success of the 2022/23 Discharge Fund, on 4 April 2023 the Government announced details of the £600 million 2023/24 Discharge Fund, to support timely and safe discharge from hospital into the community. The Government will also be making available up to £1 billion of additional funding to reduce delayed discharges in 2024/25.

Social Services: Integrated Care Boards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of integrated care boards on the quality of social care.

Helen Whately: There has been no assessment of the impact of integrated care boards (ICBs) on the quality of social care. Care Quality Commission assessments of integrated care systems will provide independent assurance to the public and parliament of how well health and social care partners within an ICB area are working together to deliver high quality care.

Better Care Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing funding for the Better Care Fund on integration between health and social care.

Helen Whately: Year-on-year, over 90% of local Health and Wellbeing Boards agree that delivery of the Better Care Fund (BCF) has improved joint working between health and social care. In addition, local areas have demonstrated that they see benefits from the BCF by committing over £10 billion of additional voluntary contributions since 2019-20.The Department are working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to commission an 18 to 24 month evaluation of the BCF in 2024. The intention is that the evaluation will provide a robust evidence base to inform future funding decisions including information on the benefits, impacts, outcomes, and value for money, and offer recommendations for future policy development and fund design.

Healthy Start Scheme: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many parents of children eligible for Healthy Start vouchers there are in (a) the London Borough of Enfield and (b) Enfield North constituency; and how many and what proportion of such parents have not received them.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of parents of children eligible for Healthy Start vouchers in (a) the London Borough of Enfield and (b) Enfield North constituency have not received them.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) deliver the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. NHSBSA publish uptake data for the Healthy Start scheme and data on the number of Healthy Start beneficiaries. A beneficiary is the child or pregnant woman who the benefit is meant for.In May 2023 there were 4416 eligible Healthy Start beneficiaries in Enfield and 2569 were on the scheme. 1847 eligible beneficiaries, 41.8% of those eligible, were not on the scheme. Uptake data is published by local authority. Constituency level uptake data is not held by NHSBSA.

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Medical Equipment

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support research into developing low carbon propellant inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Helen Whately: The Department funds research for the health and care system through the National Institute for Health and Social Care (NIHR). The NIHR has no immediate plans to encourage researchers to move into that specific area - though our research funding programmes are open and we would welcome applications in any area, including low carbon inhalers. The NIHR has also previously issued a cross-programme call for research into the evaluation of a range of interventions and services to support the delivery of a more sustainable United Kingdom health and care system and is considering how to support further research in this area in future.

Radiology

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to fill vacancies in clinical radiology as part of the long-term workforce plan.

Helen Whately: In 2023/24, NHS England is continuing to invest £50 million in the priorities set out in the Cancer Workforce Plan, including additional medical training places for clinical or medical oncology, radiology, histopathology, and gastroenterology.The Government has also committed to publishing the Long Term Workforce Plan shortly. The Long Term Workforce Plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.

Radiology

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to increase the number of clinical oncology and clinical radiology specialists in training after the publication of the long-term workforce plan.

Helen Whately: In 2023/24, NHS England is continuing to invest £50 million in the priorities set out in the Cancer Workforce Plan, including additional medical training places for clinical/medical oncology, radiology, histopathology, and gastroenterology.As at February 2023 there are 1,641 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology, which is an increase of 335 (25.7%) since 2019. This includes 865 consultants working in the speciality of clinical oncology, which is an increase of 120 (16.1%) since 2019.As at February 2023 there are 5,362 FTE doctors working in the speciality of clinical radiology, which is an increase of 969 (22.0%) since 2019. This includes 3,672 consultants working in the speciality of clinical oncology, which is an increase of 575 (18.6%) since 2019.The Government has also committed to publishing the Long Term Workforce Plan shortly. The Long Term Workforce Plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.

Neurology: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) incidence and (b) prevalence of neurological conditions in the population of Enfield North constituency in the most recent period for which data is available.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. This information is not collected or held at constituency level.

Mortality Rates

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of climate change on trends in the level of excess deaths.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are updating the evidence base on the health impacts of climate change through producing a United Kingdom focused report, ‘Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK’.This report will consider a wide range of risks and opportunities of climate change impacts on health, including excess deaths where there is available evidence to determine estimations, as identified by the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA). It will include an update of the estimates of direct and indirect climate-related health impacts using the UKCP18 climate projections, and reviews of the health impacts of multiple climate-related risks such as temperature, drought, outdoor and indoor air quality, vector-borne diseases, and net zero measures.The report will inform local and national government and other relevant organisations of the health effects of climate change in the UK and identify research gaps and recommend actions for policy and practice where required. The fourth iteration of the report will be published in September 2023.The previous report, third report, published in 2012 is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371103/Health_Effects_of_Climate_Change_in_the_UK_2012_V13_with_cover_accessible.pdf

Chromosome Abnormalities

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to add to the guidance accompanying the Down Syndrome Act 2022 to address 22q11.2 Syndromes and other chromosomal disorders.

Maria Caulfield: We recognise that there are overlaps between the services that support people with Down syndrome and those that support people with other genetic conditions and/or a learning disability. The Down Syndrome Act guidance will focus on the unique support needs of people with Down syndrome. We will, however, highlight where best practice in service delivery would also be applicable to those with another genetic condition and/or a learning disability, including DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome). There will be a full public consultation on the guidance once a draft has been produced.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Special Protection Areas: Licensing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the average number of days taken for individual licences to be granted by Natural England for shoots in or near Special Protection Areas in the most recent period for which data is available.

Trudy Harrison: The Defra Minister responsible has assumed responsibility for the decision making of individual licence applications for SPAs following the changes to General Licence 43 (GL43). Natural England is responsible for processing the applications and providing recommendations to Defra ministers. As at 19 June, Natural England has recommended issuing 3 individual licences which would authorise the release of a specified number of gamebirds at the specified site in the licence. The Minister has considered these applications and granted the individual licences.

Special Protection Areas: Licensing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of consulting on the withdrawal of GL43 licences from special protection areas prior to implementing that policy.

Trudy Harrison: The Defra minister responsible has taken this decision following initial advice from the statutory nature conservation body, Natural England to reduce the risk of impact of avian influenza on rare and protected wild bird populations. We informed stakeholders on 10 May, based on their feedback we sought further advice from Defra’s Chief Scientific Officer prior to issuing final decision on 31 May.

Special Protection Areas: Licensing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of withdrawing GL43 licences from special protection areas on the finances of rural businesses; and whether she plans to provide compensation to estates that (a) do not receive and (b) are delayed in receiving a licence.

Trudy Harrison: The Defra minister responsible supports gamebird shooting for all the benefits it brings to individuals, the environment and the rural economy and will work with the industry to try to mitigate any potential impact.

Leighton Hall: Gun Sports

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Leighton Hall Estate has been granted an individual licence to shoot.

Trudy Harrison: The Defra minister responsible is working with Natural England to ensure applications are processed promptly and within the 30-working-day customer service standard. We cannot comment on individual licence decisions.

Water Companies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2023 to Question 186322 on Water Companies, how many (a) cautions (b) prosecutions and (c) legal instruments the Drinking Water Inspectorate brought against water companies in each of the last five years broken down by each water company.

Rebecca Pow: The number of cautions, prosecutions and legal instruments (LIs) applicable for the period 2017 to 2021 to each water company are summarised in the table attached. The Drinking Water Inspectorate uses all the enforcement levers as and when deemed appropriate to the individual issue to facilitate the best outcome.Data table (pdf, 59.2KB)

Animals: Customs

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186538 on Animal and Plant Health Agency: Port of Dover, if she will provide a breakdown of the animals detained by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the last 12 months by (a) species, (b) port and (c) reason for detention; and how many and what proportion of those animals were (i) leaving and (ii) entering the UK.

Mark Spencer: Animals leaving GB will be checked at their point of entry into the EU or the Rest of the World country. The data provided is for animals detained following an inspection when entering GB for the period from 1 May 2022 to 31 May 2023. Animals can be detained for the following reasons:Trade in Animals & Related Products Regulation (entering UK without correct documentation) – TARPRabies Import Order 1974 (not complying with requirements of this Order in place to prevent rabies entering the UK) - RIOWelfare in Transport (unfit for travel due to ill health or pregnancy) -WIT DogsDOGSDoverCoquellesFolkestoneHarwichNot specifiedTotal Detention ReasonRIO &TARP162150033RIO & WIT552301373RIO Only893117010147TARP Only25334035WIT & TARP371650058WIT, TARP & RIO387130159WIT Only192340046Total at Port2798460424 CatsCATSDoverCoquellesFolkestoneTotal Detention ReasonRIO & TARP1012RIO & WIT0000RIO Only39012TARP Only141015WIT & TARP1001WIT, TARP & RIO3003WIT Only3014Total at Port25102

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to answer Question 186536 tabled by the hon. Member for Penrith and the Border on 23 May for answer by 5 June 2023.

Mark Spencer: A response was published on 19 June 2023.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds searchable IT archives (a) on Regulatory Impact Analysis estimates for EU-sourced regulation and (b) employing the search term out of scope relating to changes to regulatory burdens that could not be reviewed due to its EU origin.

Mark Spencer: Regulatory Impact Assessments are the responsibility of the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) in the Department for Business and Trade. However, BRE does not hold information relating to the impacts of EU-sourced regulations. Retained EU law is currently being reviewed by each Department to consider whether it should be removed, kept or reformed. Defra contributed information to the BRE on the cumulative impacts of the analysis of Impact Assessments for Defra regulations, for the purposes of the Business Impact Target. However, this information is not held centrally on a searchable IT platform or archive.

Home Office

Stop and Search: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in Wales in 2021-22.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in England in 2021-22.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the ethnicity of people stopped and searched in England and Wales on an annual basis. The latest data are available here: Update to stop and search and arrests statistics using 2021 Census estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Table 1 below shows how many searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity were recorded in England and Wales in 2021-22. Population data used to calculate the rates are from the 2021 Census.Table 1 – stop and searches per 1,000 people by ethnicity in 2021-22, England and Wales Self-defined ethnicity WhiteBlack or Black BritishAsian or Asian BritishOther Ethnic GroupMixedRate per 1,000 people - England5.526.78.86.79.3Rate per 1,000 people - Wales5.317.75.46.66.8The Home Office have explored using different denominators to calculate stop and search disparity rates. Within the Metropolitan Police Force area using suspects of violent crime reduced disparity rates for black people from 3.7 to 1.2. Further details are here: Exploration of an alternative approach to calculating stop and search rates in the Metropolitan Police Force Area – Experimental Statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We continue to work to refine and enhance stop and search statistics, and reflect the fact searches tends to be concentrated in geographical areas with high crime.

Health Services: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the the impact of housing of an increased number of asylum seekers in Shrewsbury on the local health economy.

Robert Jenrick: The provision of healthcare for asylum-seekers is the statutory responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and hospitalised if required. Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities including, vaccinations, trained medical staff and a doctor for those on site.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 May 2023 on Regulation Update, UIN HCWS779, whether the review of the legal framework for the effective administration of the animal testing ban for chemicals exclusively intended as ingredients in cosmetics products will be subject to a public consultation; what her timeline is for the review; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is taking action to seek alternatives to animal testing for worker and environmental safety of chemicals used exclusively as cosmetic ingredients.On 17 May 2023, the Home Secretary announced a licensing ban with immediate effect. The Home Office is working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and other departments to review the effective administration of the licensing ban on animal testing of chemicals exclusively intended as ingredients in cosmetics. This will have due regard of the needs of the science industry, the need to ensure worker and environmental safety, and the need to protect animals from unnecessary harm. The Government is undertaking this work at pace and timings and engagement will be informed by the evidence.The Government is also engaging with relevant companies to determine a way forward on legacy licences.

Asylum: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential occupational health impacts of the proposed increases in housing for asylum seekers in Shrewsbury.

Robert Jenrick: The provision of healthcare for asylum-seekers is the statutory responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and hospitalised if required. Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities including, vaccinations, trained medical staff and a doctor for those on site.

Asylum: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of arrangements for the housing of an increased number of asylum seekers in Shrewsbury.

Robert Jenrick: The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to us. Providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose. Providers are required to supply a standard inventory of items along with the accommodation.In addition to the provider’s monthly inspections, ASC-A inspects properties on a targeted basis, as well as testing providers’ monthly performance against the contractual KPIs and conducting assurance reviews of aspects of performance.

Home Office: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ACRO - Western Balkans SOC Grant.

Tom Tugendhat: The ACRO Western Balkans SOC Project received grants from the Home Office for the financial years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.This project, once complete, will allow for improved criminal records sharing arrangements and law enforcement cooperation between the UK and the Western Balkans countries. Conviction records are a key tool in tackling the threat posed by serious and organised crime.

Chemicals and Cosmetics: Regulation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with interested parties to assess the potential merits of updating the cosmetics and chemicals regulations in the last 12 months.

Tom Tugendhat: On 17 May 2023, the Government introduced a licensing ban on animal testing of chemicals exclusively intended as ingredients in cosmetics.The Home Office continues to engage relevant stakeholders and is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Department for Business and Trade, who are responsible for the regulation of chemicals and cosmetics, respectively.

Asylum: Applications

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average time taken to process asylum applications in May (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office is unable to state the average time taken to process asylum claims because this information is not held in a reportable format, not routinely published, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.However, the Home Office does publish data regarding asylum claims awaiting an initial decision by duration as at the end of March 2022 and 2023, for main claimant only. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the Asylum and Resettlement Summary Tables:List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people the police have detained under section 1365 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last 24 months.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hours on average police officers spend in Accident and Emergency each month waiting for sectioned people to receive treatment.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on detentions under section 135 and section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, by financial year, as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical bulletin.The most recent data, for the year ending March 2022, are available here:Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Number of detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983, by year and legislation, England and Wales1,2, 2020/21 to 2021/22Year ending…LegislationSection 136Section 1353March 202133,8832,691March 202236,5292,901Notes:Section 136 - Excludes Dyfed-Powys who were unable to provide data in 2020/21 and only provided partial data in 2021/22. Including Dyfed-Powys, there were 36,594 detentions in 2021/22.Section 135 – Excludes 6 forces who were unable to provide data in either year (Dyfed-Powys, Merseyside, Sussex, Cheshire, Hampshire and Devon and Cornwall police forces).Data for section 135 is labelled as Experimental Statistics due to data quality issues, therefore should be interpreted with caution.Data are not available broken down by month.The section 136 data includes a breakdown by place of safety that the person was first taken to, such as A&E. However, data on the amount of time police officers spend at the place of safety are not collected.Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published in Autumn 2023.

Asylum: Applications

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve the efficiency and (b) maintain the thoroughness of the asylum application process.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the capacity of the asylum system to (a) reduce processing times and (b) eliminate backlogs.

Robert Jenrick: We are taking immediate action to speed up asylum processing whilst maintaining the integrity of the system. This includes simplifying guidance, reducing interview length and streamlining processes. The Streamlined Asylum Process plays an important role in achieving this. We have already doubled our decision makers over the last 2 years. We are continuing to increase this further with large campaign already underway. This will take the headcount of our expected number of decision makers to 2,500 by September 2023. The aim is to clear the initial decision backlog of asylum legacy cases by the end of 2023.

Asylum: Applications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission the creation of a digital tool to enable asylum seekers to be provided with updates on their case.

Robert Jenrick: We are developing a portal which will enable claimants to access real time updates on their case. An early version of this has been in test with representatives during 2022/23 and we are looking to develop its usage and build the customer aspects during 2023/2024.

Immigration: Applications

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many leave-to-remain applications cannot be progressed because of a technical issue.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not hold this information in a reportable format.

Asylum: Newcastle upon Tyne Central

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187651, how many asylum seekers lived in Newcastle upon Tyne in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority and data on resettlement by local authority can be found in tables Asy_D11 and Res_D01 respectively of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that the data relates to asylum seekers in receipt of support or refugees resettled only and does not represent all asylum seekers.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to March 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people with refugee status who are still living in the UK, or their location within the UK. This is because the Home Office does not track the addresses of those granted refugee status, and refugees are free to move around the UK or leave.

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that case managers provide comprehensive updates to case requests through the MP hotline for visa and immigration matters.

Robert Jenrick: Any query that cannot be answered during a call to the MP Enquiry Line will be transferred to an MP Account Management team caseworker and a response will be provided within 20 working days.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of full time equivalent staff working on processing Windrush Compensation Scheme claims.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allocate additional funds to the Windrush Compensation Scheme; and if she will make a statement to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in Britain.

Robert Jenrick: The Scheme has reached its public commitment of deploying 154 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Executive Office (EO) Decision Makers by Quarter 2 2023. The Scheme also continues to run ongoing recruitment campaigns to ensure the necessary level of staffing is maintained and has continued to backfill those who leave.As set out by the Home Secretary at the Windrush Working Group Meeting on 24 January 2023, additional experienced EO decision makers have also been deployed on a temporary basis to assist with accelerating decision making; these staff are in addition to meeting the public commitment to post 154 substantive EO decision makers recruited.Regarding allocating additional funds to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, there is no cap on the amount of compensation the Scheme will pay out. The Government is determined to right the wrongs for affected members of the Windrush generation and will ensure that all funding requirements are met.

Drugs: Testing

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the requirement for drug testing charities to obtain licenses from her Department for back of house drug testing in the presence of police officers, for what reason (a) her Department's policy has changed and (b) charities were not given advance notice; if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (i) waving the fee for applications for such licences and (ii) expediting those applications; and if she will commission the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review this area of policy and make recommendations.

Chris Philp: Home Office policy on drug testing has not changed. It is a long-established legal requirement, under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, that a controlled drugs licence is needed to lawfully undertake activities including the possession, supply or production of controlled drugs.We have been clear that organisations providing drug testing services need to apply for a Home Office licence where they are undertaking activities with controlled drugs.The Home Office has not received any licence applications from organisations wanting to provide drug testing services at festivals this year. The Government’s guidance on applying for a controlled drug licence sets out the timelines required for the Home Office to consider an application. These timelines enable the Home Office to fulfil its legislative duties and its international obligations under the United Nations Drug Conventions. Similarly, fees for licence applications are set out in statute and are applied universally to prospective licensees.The Home Office has no plans to commission the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review drug testing.

Department for Education

Children: Sunscreens

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free sunscreen products in schools for children.

Nick Gibb: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The Department has not made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing free sunscreen products in schools for pupils.School staff have a duty to look after the pupils in their care. Schools are best placed to determine what measures are practicable to minimise any known risks arising from outdoor activities that take place in sunny weather, including exposure to the sun during school breaks.The Department expects schools to take sensible decisions when temperatures are high and where pupils could be outside for longer periods of time.The Department also expects schools to engage with parents and pupils on what precautions are acceptable and what measures the school is prepared to undertake. This would include discussions on how schools adhere to advice from the Department of Health and Social Care, including whether staff are prepared to administer sunscreen to younger pupils, whether pupils are allowed to carry their own sunscreen or, alternatively, whether pupils can cover up and wear sun hats or sunglasses.Parents should raise any concerns directly with a school, which can then advise further on local policies.

Schools: Inspections

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the re-inspection of schools is carried out by the original assessor where practicable.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Darlington, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Teachers: Training

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that teachers are trained to identify signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as early as possible.

Nick Gibb: All teachers are teachers of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and high quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with SEND are given the best possible opportunity to achieve at school.There are already a number of measures in place to support teachers in identifying and implementing support for pupils who face difficulties, including working with a dedicated SEND coordinator.From September 2020, all new teachers have benefited from at least three years of evidence based professional development and support, starting with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) based on the new ITT Core Content Framework (CCF), and followed by a new two-year induction, underpinned by the Early Career Framework (ECF). The Department is reviewing the ITT CCF and ECF this year. This includes working with experts to identify opportunities to improve how the frameworks can support new teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND.In addition, all ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Special Educational Needs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187808 on Special Educational Needs, and with reference to her Department's guidance Summer born children: advice for admission authorities, published on 27 April 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing additional guidance for summer born children with an Education, health and care plan.

Nick Gibb: The Department is currently considering whether to issue additional guidance on school admission for summer born children with an Education, Health and Care plan.

Free School Meals: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what were the savings to the public purse of unspent free school meal allowances in the (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing pupils who are eligible for free school meals to use an unspent daily allowance on a future day.

Nick Gibb: The Department allocates funding to schools to support free school meals (FSM) provision, through their core budgets. In 2023/24, the funding rate for each pupil who is eligible for FSM stands at £480. In total, the Department spends over £1 billion each year on free meals, which now support over one third of pupils in England.FSM are intended as a benefit in kind, rather than a cash benefit, and the Department’s primary interest is that schools meet their legal duties to provide nutritious free lunches to eligible pupils.Schools have considerable freedom in how they deliver FSM, and it is important that pupils are claiming their free lunch each day. Schools and colleges should ensure pupils are not building up significant cash reserves on their accounts or regularly spending their allowances at other times of day without receiving their healthy lunch.

Department for Education: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Nick Gibb: In common with all Civil Service Departments, the Department has equivalent arrangements in place of the Access to Work scheme.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with US counterparts on the transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.

David Rutley: The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK-US military facility on Diego Garcia. The US fully supports the process of bilateral negotiations between the UK and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.The Foreign Secretary and his officials are in regular contact with the US on a range of topics related to the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago, including the ongoing sovereignty negotiations with Mauritius.

Pakistan: Human Rights

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on (a) allegations of arbitrary detentions, (b) allegations of violent human rights violations, (c) reports of the torture of political prisoners and (d) targeting of journalists committed by security forces in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: We are aware of reports of detainments and human rights violations in Pakistan and continue to monitor the situation closely. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, on 9 May and to Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 10 and 13 May, where he emphasised the importance of maintaining legal and democratic rights, including the right to protest, adherence to the rule of law, and transparency in legal processes. Where there are allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be fully investigated in line with international human rights law.

Pakistan: Elections

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with Pakistani Governmental authorities on the operation of free, fair and safe provincial elections in that country.

Leo Docherty: The UK has a close and longstanding relationship with Pakistan. We respect Pakistan's constitution and do not interfere in its domestic political affairs. In May, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan and to Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, emphasising the importance of democratic norms and adherence to the rule of law.

Pakistan: Journalism

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on the safety of (a) domestic and (b) foreign journalists in that country.

Leo Docherty: The UK is a champion of media freedom and a proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. The British High Commission in Islamabad regularly raises media freedom and the protection of journalists with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. On 23 January, the UK's Political Counsellor in Islamabad raised these issues with Muhammad Saleem Baig, Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

North Korea: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment for the implications of its policies of recent reports of the sentencing of a young child to life imprisonment in a prison camp in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea due to their parents being in possession of a bible; and if he will make a statement.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is aware of the appalling human rights situation in North Korea. The right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all is an FCDO policy priority and a key strand of our DPRK human rights strategy. We regularly raise this with the North Korean authorities and at the UN, including at the 20 March 2023 UN Arria-formula open meeting, where the UK and partners highlighted the DPRK's appalling human rights record. The UK cosponsored the resolution on DPRK Human Rights, adopted by consensus at the UN Human Rights Council on 4 April 2023. As Lord Ahmad made clear: we call on the DPRK to engage constructively with the UN Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón and to bring about permanent change and improvement for people of North Korea.

Afghanistan: LGBT+ People

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of LGBT+ people in Afghanistan by (a) the Taliban Government, (b) religious authorities and (c) Afghan society since August 2021.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO continues to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan closely, including the situation of the LGBT+ community. On 7 October 2022, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate to monitor human rights in Afghanistan. As the UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has since reported, LGBT+ people face discrimination, threats and violence in Afghanistan. FCDO officials continue to call on the Taliban to protect all minority communities.

Ukraine: Development Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether devolved spending on asylum seekers, refugees and people from Ukrainian is included in Overseas Development Assistance (a) reporting to OECD Development Co-operation Directorate and (b) UK targets.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government is required to report its Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend to the OECD Development Assistance Committee. This includes eligible spend by the Devolved Governments to reflect ODA spend across the whole of the UK. Support given to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK that meets the OECD ODA rules, including support given by the Devolved Governments, is reported to the OECD and contributes to the UK Government's commitment to spend around 0.5 per cent Gross national income (GNI) as ODA.

Israel: Palestinians

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Israel to stop evictions, displacement and forcible transfers affecting Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has received from (a) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and (b) human rights organisations in respect of potential of forced (i) evictions, (ii) displacement and (iii) transfer against Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta region of the West Bank.

David Rutley: Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and in all but the most exceptional of cases are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, reiterated this position to Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in January, during which time he also visited a school in Masafer Yatta. The Foreign Secretary has also made this point to Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen when he met with him on 21 March. The UK, through the British Consulate General Jerusalem, continues to work closely with human rights organisations operating in Masafer Yatta.

Libya: IRA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to compensate victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism.

David Rutley: The responsibility for providing compensation specifically for the actions of the Qadhafi regime lies with the Libyan State. The Government has repeatedly urged the Libyan authorities to engage with UK victims and their representatives, and to address their claims for compensation. We will continue to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime' support for the IRA.

Shadi Shahidzadeh

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Iranian authorities on the loss of contact between Shadi Shahidzadeh and her family since her arrest.

David Rutley: The UK unequivocally condemns the persecution of religious minorities in Iran. We are appalled by reports of the regime's increased detentions of Baha'is, as well as expropriation of land and destruction of homes of the Baha'i community. We recognise the specific risks Baha'i individuals face in Iran, including false accusations of links to foreign governments. We therefore weigh our actions very carefully, noting that establishing a link to the UK could put people at further risk. We stand up for the Baha'i community and other oppressed minorities in Iran by raising these and wider human rights issues with the regime at all appropriate opportunities, and we work closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account for its dire human rights record.

Israel: Embassies

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of relocating the British Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

David Rutley: There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policy of the support to Bahrain's oversight bodies including the (a) National Institute for Human Rights and (b) Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman office in the context of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy's complaint of 29 January 2023 and published on 14 June 2023 against Bahrain's Interior Ministry in the case of (i) Haider Al-Mulla, (ii) Hamid Jaafar Mohammed and (iii) Jassim Khalil Al-Saffar.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is aware of the complaint issued by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy on 29 January 2023. The UK's close relationship with Bahrain allows us to work together to improve human rights in Bahrain, including supporting the development of oversight bodies. We engage these organisations regularly, including with respect to individual cases, welcome their assurances and urge their continued transparency.

Deep Sea Mining: G7

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with G7 counterparts on memorandums of understanding for deep sea mining.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: In conjunction with the recent G7 Summit in Japan, the G7 Ministers for Climate, Energy and Environment met at the G7 Hiroshima Summit in April 2023 and agreed a Communique on 16th April which included mention of deep seabed mining, that the G7 will "continue to actively engage in the development of a regulatory framework on deep seabed mineral exploitation under International Seabed Authority (ISA) that ensures effective protection for the marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from such activities, as required under the UNCLOS". The full G7 statement on deep sea mining can be found at www.env.go.jp.

Malaysia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit Malaysia.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign Secretary's travel plans over the next year are still to be decided. As a Commonwealth partner, our history with Malaysia is amongst the deepest in the region. The Foreign Secretary is committed to strengthening security ties and economic cooperation as well as building on the unique people to people links through collaboration in areas such as education and climate change.

Malaysia: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Malaysian counterpart on strengthening UK-Malaysian relations.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK and Malaysia have a long history of close friendship as members of the Commonwealth. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir in London on 13 March where they discussed the shared commitment to the Commonwealth as a forum to address shared challenges. The Foreign Secretary also welcomed the UK's close collaboration with Malaysia on issues such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as well as cooperation through Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a dialogue partner.

Sri Lanka: Poverty

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to work with the international community to help reduce poverty in Sri Lanka.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has provided £3 million of targeted support for those most severely affected by Sri Lankan economic crisis, including providing multipurpose cash transfers for vulnerable families and food for school children, delivered through our UN partners and the Red Cross. The UK also provided economic support through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. We welcome the IMF Executive Board approval, on 20 March, for a four-year $3 billion Extended Fund Facility to support Sri Lanka's economic policies and reforms. As a member of the Paris Club, we will continue to work closely with creditors and the Sri Lankan Government to help restore debt sustainability and macroeconomic stability in line with IMF programme parameters.

Diplomatic Relations: Artificial Intelligence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) efficacy and (b) potential value of using artificial intelligence in diplomacy.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As outlined in the Integrated Review, the UK is taking steps to secure our status as a Science and Tech Superpower by 2030, including by establishing a leading edge in critical areas such as artificial intelligence (AI).The art of diplomacy has always been shaped by technological advances. The Foreign Secretary recognises the potential of AI and adjacent technologies to radically transform how the FCDO operates and delivers diplomatic, development and consular outcomes internationally. These same technologies will also present new threats and risks for which the FCDO and our partners must also prepare.

Australia: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 187058, whether Ministers in his Department plan to meet with other Australian Agents General in the next 12 months.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: There are currently no plans in place for meetings between Ministers and Agents General. However, we remain open to opportunities for engagement which would help develop the UK-Australia relationship even further, and deliver more opportunities for British business.

Disease Control: Innovation and Research

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK funding for research on treating and preventing (a) dengue, (b) chikungunya and (c) other arboviral diseases in the last five years; and what future plans he has to support dengue research and innovation.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK investments in Product Development Partnerships for research on novel health technologies have led to advancements in tackling many neglected diseases of poverty, including dengue, chikungunya and other arboviral diseases. The FCDO supports the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) which has established a research partnership with dengue-endemic countries to find a safe, affordable, and effective treatment for this disease. FCDO also invests in the Liverpool based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), which is developing innovative ways to reduce transmission by mosquitos, including those that transmit arboviruses. Research is still at an early stage and continuous investment in Research and Development (R&D) will be essential to ensure progress in combatting these diseases.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: EU Law

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department holds searchable IT archives (a) of Regulatory Impact Analysis estimates for EU-sourced regulation and (b) employing the search term out of scope relating to changes to regulatory burdens that could not be reviewed due to EU origin.

Leo Docherty: Regulatory impact assessments are the responsibility of the Better Regulation Executive in DBT. I refer the Hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings to the answers given to him by my Hon. Friend for Thirsk and Malton, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business on 22 May, UIN: 183010 and 183009.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of adherence by the Russian Federation to its legal responsibilities towards the populations of the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Leo Docherty: In the course of its illegal invasion, Russia has shown a total disregard for its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and is responsible for numerous violations and abuses of human rights. Russia continues to deny full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to territory under its temporary control, where millions of people are in acute need of humanitarian assistance. Reporting from the UN and OSCE concludes that Russia's treatment of civilians, including killings, torture and forced transfers, may amount to war crimes. The UK is committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine, including by supporting the International Criminal Court and Ukrainian domestic investigations.

Peru: Dengue Fever

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Peru following the recent outbreak of dengue fever.

David Rutley: The UK Government has been carefully monitoring the situation in Peru since heavy rains and countrywide flooding affected the country in March. The Peruvian authorities subsequently declared dengue fever a national health emergency in May. The Peruvian government is leading the immediate response to the current dengue outbreak. The UK Government will continue to monitor and support the country's long-term sustainable development through our work in Peru.

Brazil: Indigenous Peoples

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide support to the Ministry for Indigenous Peoples in Brazil on preventing (i) the harassment of and (ii) violence against indigenous people in that country.

David Rutley: The UK regularly engages with the Brazilian Government, indigenous community leaders, and civil society to promote and support human rights. Our Embassy in Brazil is in regular contact with Brazil's Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. The Foreign Secretary visited Brazil in May and witnessed first-hand Brazil's efforts to tackle organised and environmental crime in the Amazon and its impact on indigenous peoples. The UK supports these efforts, including through the UK - Brazil Partnership on Green and Inclusive Growth, which the Foreign Secretary signed during his visit, and which includes measures to help strengthen the socio-environmental rights of indigenous peoples.

Guatemala: Press Freedom

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Guatemalan counterpart on (a) the sentencing of José Rubén Zamora, the founder of El Periódico newspaper, and (b) media freedoms in that country.

David Rutley: Last week's 6-year sentence of journalist José Rubén Zamora is an afront to independent journalism in Guatemala. Responsible journalism and a free press play key roles in a healthy democracy. During my visit to Guatemala in April, I [Minister Rutley] spoke with Vice Foreign Minister Aguilar and talked about the importance the UK Government attaches to democratic values, among them media freedom and judicial independence. We also put on record our concern in the UK statement during the Universal Periodic Review of Guatemala at the Human Rights Council in January. On 20 June I [Minister Rutley] tweeted a message about Zamora's conviction and sentencing.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Artificial Intelligence

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Departments are using artificial intelligence-based systems to make automated decisions.

Alex Burghart: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in the Cabinet Office is working with departments to establish the frameworks and policies to guide the responsible adoption of new technologies, including artificial intelligence. The requested information relating to specific departmental use of artificial intelligence systems to make automated decisions is not centrally held.

Department for Business and Trade

Baby Care Units: Parental Leave

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the number of people eligible for the entitlements set out in the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act who will not receive those entitlements between the date the Bill received Royal Assent and the date the Act is due to be implemented.

Kevin Hollinrake: We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible. Work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements. It is not possible to deliver the Neonatal Care Leave and Pay entitlement immediately after Royal Assent as delivery requires updates to HMRC IT systems and a significant amount of secondary legislation.

Public Sector: Living Wage

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to ensure that outsourced staff in the public sector receive (a) at least the Living Wage and (b) certainty over hours of work.

Kevin Hollinrake: All employers, including the public sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. The vast majority of responsible employers make sure they get it right. The Government takes enforcing the minimum wage seriously. We are clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and take robust enforcement action against employers who do not pay their staff correctly. ￼ The Government is also supporting the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, which will give qualifying workers the right to request a more predictable working pattern.

Public Sector: Living Wage

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to ensure every public sector employee receives at least the Living Wage.

Kevin Hollinrake: All employers, including the public sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. The vast majority of responsible employers make sure they get it right. The Government takes enforcing the minimum wage seriously. We are clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and take robust enforcement action against employers who do not pay their staff correctly.

Billing: Older People

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to require all businesses to provide paper bills to people over the age of 70.

Kevin Hollinrake: Government has no plans to introduce new rules. Businesses should treat all their customers fairly. Anyone who feels they have experienced age discrimination may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free support.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason the Strategic Trade Advisory Group has not met since June 2022; and when the Group is next planned to meet.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade is reforming its approach to external engagement to meet the needs of industry and match the priorities of the new Department. A new approach will be set out in due course, but in the meantime the Department continues to engage with a full range of interested parties on key issues.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Radio: Local Broadcasting

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has held with the BBC Board on conducting equality impact assessments on changes to BBC local radio coverage for rural communities.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held discussions with Ofcom on the BBC's proposals for local radio; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held discussions with the BBC Board on the potential impact of the BBC's proposals for Local Radio on staff.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC Board on the impact of BBC Local Radio proposals on working parents employed by those stations.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the BBC's proposed changes to local radio coverage on the delivery of its equality obligations under the BBC operating licence.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC Board on the potential impact of BBC's proposed changes to local radio on the reporting of emergency planning incidents.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed the concerns shared across the House about the BBC’s plans.While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government has been clear with the Chair of the BBC Board and the Director General that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.The BBC is editorially and operationally independent, and the decision over whether to proceed with these changes is for them. It is also the BBC’s responsibility to consider the potential impacts for audiences and staff of these changes under their public sector equality duty.Since its initial announcement of these cuts, the BBC has confirmed that all local radio stations will retain the ability to break out of shared programming and respond to breaking local stories including extreme weather conditions or public health emergencies.The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. As part of this, the BBC will be required to monitor the impact of changes on audiences and publish more information about how it delivers high quality, distinctive content and services for audiences across the UK.In the publication of the BBC’s new Operating Licence, Ofcom sets out that it will hold the BBC to its commitments on local radio in England in relation to news and travel, breaking news and major incidents and its contribution to local democracy.As a public authority, the BBC is itself responsible for undertaking equality impact assessments under the Public Sector Equality Duty (as contained in the Equality Act 2010). The BBC Director General was asked whether the BBC has carried out an equality impact assessment regarding the local radio proposals at his 13 June appearance at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, and has committed to sharing relevant information on this with the Committee.

Advertising: Environment Protection

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle greenwashing in advertising.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on the environment of placing restrictions on advertisements for high-carbon products or services.

Sir John Whittingdale: The regulation of advertising content and placement in the UK is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and operates independently of the Government. The ASA have issued guidance to advertisers regarding environmental claims and the guidance was updated earlier this year, and it is for the ASA to consider how to address environmental claims made in adverts.The Government continues to work towards Net Zero and transition away from fossil fuels. The Government also supports the efforts of the advertising industry to eliminate the negative environmental impacts of advertising production. This includes the ambition, set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision, to maximise the positive impact of the creative industries, including advertising, on the environment and the UK’s global standing.

Music Venues: Finance

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing the same level of funding to grassroots music venues that host contemporary music as provided for opera and classical music.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring large music venues to charge a ticket levy to fund investment in (a) musicians and (b) grassroot music venues.

Sir John Whittingdale: His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which play an absolutely crucial role in our world-leading music sector, and are key to developing the future talent pipeline.That is why we are supporting them to develop the next generation of British talent, by providing an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s successful Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund, as announced in the Creative Industries Sector Vision on 14 June. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young, emerging and more diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.This is in addition to other government support provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund, and through Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund since 2019.Contemporary, operatic, and classical music subsectors receive funding through a wide variety of sources, including Arts Council England. Decisions made by the Arts Council about the allocation of funding are taken at arm's length from Government. Decisions are made in line with the Council’s ten-year strategy, which sets the direction for all of the artforms and sub-sectors it supports, including opera, contemporary, and classical music.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues of all sizes across the country. The Department works closely with interested parties and across Government to ensure the live music sector continues to thrive. Whilst industry-led discussions on the proposal of a ticket levy are ongoing, we have no plans to enforce large venues to impose a ticket levy.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of her Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Sir John Whittingdale: As part of the National Disability Strategy (NDS), DCMS had four specific actions, three of which are progressing as planned and one of which, following the recent machinery of government changes, is now the responsibility of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.Firstly, we are continuing to develop the Arts Access Card Scheme, which will make it easier for disabled people to enjoy arts and cultural venues across the UK. The pilot of the scheme is scheduled to launch in spring 2024.Secondly, we are progressing our ambition for the UK to be the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by engaging with stakeholders, including VisitEngland, VisitBritain and the Tourism Industry Council Working Group, and we are also aiming to host a series of ministerial roundtables to discuss the barriers disabled people face as tourists.Thirdly, we are continuing to address the inequalities faced by disabled people in sport and physical activity. As such, Sport England has provided £1 million of specialist disability investment as part of its ongoing ‘recover and reinvent’ work, 47 grants through the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund to projects benefiting autistic people and £40 million in the 2 financial years to March 2023 through the Tackling Inequalities Fund and Together Fund (reaching 1,900 projects directly supporting disabled people).The action in the NDS for DCMS to explore how to improve the accessibility of private sector websites now falls under the auspices of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Tourism: VAT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Tourism Recovery Plan: Update on Delivery published by her Department in March 2023, what recent progress she has made on her Department's commitment to explore potential mitigations for the removal of the VAT-free shopping scheme.

Sir John Whittingdale: As referenced in the Tourism Recovery Plan Update, the Government is engaging closely to identify potential ways to further grow the UK visitor economy - including how best to support and grow the valuable inbound tourism sector.We will continue to monitor the impact of government interventions and facilitate joined-up policy interventions, and to discuss this topic with colleagues across Government through the Inter-Ministerial Group for the Visitor Economy.As a tax matter, His Majesty’s Treasury set the terms for the UK Government’s policy on VAT-free shopping. HM Treasury continues to monitor the evidence and latest data around VAT-free shopping as they keep all taxes under review.

Public Holidays

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with other Government departments on the potential effect of additional public holidays on the tourism industry and the economy.

Sir John Whittingdale: Bank and public holidays provide an opportunity for people right across the UK to get outside and explore new parts of the country. Domestic, overnight trips make an important contribution to our tourism and hospitality industries, and the wider economy. For example, British residents made 100 million overnight trips in England between April and December 2021, contributing a total of £22.2 billion in spend.The Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy has been established to facilitate greater cooperation across government, in order to assess how best to support the visitor economy, and how to drive growth in the tourism sector.The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays, but we believe that the current pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted.

Treasury

Mortgages: Defaulters

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of mortgage defaults in Wales in each of the next 12 months.

Andrew Griffith: We recognise this will be a concerning time for homeowners and mortgage holders. Anyone worried about making their mortgage repayments should speak to their lender as soon as possible. Mortgage arrears and repossessions remain below pre-pandemic levels and three times lower than the levels we inherited in 2010. However, where mortgage borrowers do fall in financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

Mortgages: Refugees

Royston Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the accessibility of mortgages for Ukrainian refugees with a time limited permission to stay in the UK.

Andrew Griffith: The pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, there is a wide variety of mortgage products available in the market for prospective buyers. Arrivals from Ukraine have full recourse to public services, including schools and the NHS, and local authorities are provided with unringfenced funding to support their arrival and integration into the local community. The Ukraine visa schemes are some of the most generous humanitarian schemes in the world, and the UK has already welcomed over 170k people.

Cash Dispensing: Meriden

Saqib Bhatti: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help secure free access to cash withdrawals and deposit facilities in Meriden constituency.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that while the transition towards digital payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by many people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The government is currently legislating to protect access to cash across the UK as part of the Financial Services and Markets (FSM) Bill 2022. The Bill establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. As amended, the FSM Bill protects free access to cash by requiring the FCA to seek to ensure that, in the United Kingdom, there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts with relevant providers. It also requires the Treasury to publish a policy statement that includes policies on free access. According to LINK data for April 2023, there are around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK, including 81 in the constituency of Meriden.

Low Incomes: Meriden

Saqib Bhatti: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to people on lower incomes in Meriden constituency.

John Glen: The Government recognises the challenges facing households on lower incomes across the country, particularly in light of elevated costs of living. Support to households with the cost of living is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24. This includes uprating benefits and the state pension in line with inflation from this April, and new Cost of Living Payments in 2023-24 for households on means tested benefits, pensioner households and individuals on disability benefits, in addition last year’s support. Over 14,000 households on means-tested benefits in Meriden were eligible for last year’s £650 Cost of Living Payment, with another 11,500 individuals on disability benefits eligible for a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, and over 20,000 pensioner households eligible for the £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment. The Government is also providing further assistance through a one year extension to the Household Support Fund in England. Solihull Council has been allocated over £2.8m this year from the Household Support Fund to support its residents, including in Meriden, with the cost of food, energy and other essentials.

Small Businesses: Loans

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals in the Prudential Regulation Authority Consultation CP 16/22 on the Implementation of the Basel 3.1 standards on the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises to raise funds against their commercial premises, and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffith: The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)’s, and HM Treasury’s, consultations on the Basel 3.1 standards closed on 30 March. This included the government’s proposals for deleting retained EU law including which relates to the prudential rules on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) raising funds against their commercial premises. The detailed implementation of the Basel 3.1 package is being delegated to the UK’s expert regulator, the PRA, and its consultation requested information from firms on specific measures, including those relating to SME lending. The government and PRA are currently considering the responses. The government continues to work with the PRA and businesses closely to understand the impact of the proposed changes, including the impact on SME lending.

Mortgages: Pensioners

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of changes in the costs of the average mortgage on pensioners.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to support pensioners with changes in their mortgage costs as a result of (a) increases in the cost of living and (b) rises in interest rates.

Andrew Griffith: We recognise this will be a concerning time for homeowners and mortgage holders. Anyone worried about making their mortgage repayments should speak to their lender as soon as possible. The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. Where mortgage holders, including pensioners, do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol. The Government recognises the challenges facing households – including pensioners – due to elevated costs of living, so has taken action so has taken action at Spring Budget 2023 to go further to protect struggling families. Taken together, support to households to help with higher bills is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24 – one of the largest in Europe.

Leasehold: Mortgages

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the levels of mortgage interest rates on (a) leaseholders and (b) people in shared ownership accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffith: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, we recognise this will be a concerning time for all households with a mortgage, including those with leasehold properties and in shared ownership accommodation. If mortgage holders do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government have also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders. The Government also recognises the challenges facing households due to elevated costs of living, so has taken action at Spring Budget 2023 to go further to protect struggling families. Taken together, support to households to help with higher bills is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24 – one of the largest in Europe. The government’s successful economic strategy will provide further help. The Bank of England forecast that inflation will fall to 5.1% by the end of 2023, before falling close to target by the end of 2024.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of HM Revenue and Customs' (a) customer service standard and (b) response times.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC agrees its budget and targets with HMT on an annual basis. HMT Ministers meet regularly with senior officials from HMRC to monitor progress. HMRC is working hard to bring all their customer service levels to where they want them to be, by implementing changes that will reduce demand on their phone and post services and enable them to improve the experience for those customers who still need to use them.  HMRC performance is published on a monthly and quarterly basis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that HM Revenue and Customs responds to enquiries and complaints within standard response times.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the hon member to the answer that I gave on 24 March to PQ UIN 169413.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Carbon Emissions: Infrastructure

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average time taken by his Department was to reach a decision on granting planning permission for low carbon infrastructure projects in the latest period for which data is available; and what information he holds on the average time for building works on those projects to commence following their approval.

Graham Stuart: For Nationally Significant Infrastructure cases, the Department has three months from receiving a planning report to making a Development Consent Decision. If the Department cannot reach a decision in that time, it may extend the deadline and must inform Parliament that it is doing so. In 2022 four decisions were made following extensions, averaging 90 days each, and three decisions were made within the three month deadline. Smaller projects do not come to this Department but apply to the Local Authority for planning permission in the usual way. This Department does not hold information on those cases nor on the time it takes to move from consent to build.

Industry: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to increase levels of private investment in industrial decarbonisation projects.

Graham Stuart: Private investment will be crucial to achieving net zero. The Government is working with industry to provide the investment required to accelerate industrial decarbonisation. The Government is providing more than £2 billion of funding to decarbonise energy-intensive industries. This is part of the Government’s £20 billion programme of investment in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). This funding, alongside the Government's Green Finance Strategy, will leverage private sector investment in new technologies.

Energy Company Obligation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to increase the rate of installation of energy efficiency measures under ECO4.

Graham Stuart: The rate of installation of energy efficiency measures under ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) is increasing.

Energy: Owner Occupation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory energy efficiency standards for the owner-occupied homes.

Graham Stuart: As was committed to in the Net Zero Growth Plan, the Government plans to consult by the end of 2023 on how to improve the energy efficiency of owner-occupied homes. The consultation will gather evidence on how a fair and proportionate approach, that is affordable for homeowners, can be ensured.

Energy Company Obligation: Local Government

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of delivery of the Local Authority Flexibility aspect of the ECO4 scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Government monitors delivery of all aspects of ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) including ECO Flex. Delivery is increasing and the Government works with local authorities and the scheme administrator Ofgem to learn from best practice and remove barriers to uptake where appropriate.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will take a one or two-phase approach to Track-2 cluster sequencing for carbon capture.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to issue a final decision on selected Track-2 participants following the conclusion of the expression of interest process.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to name a Track-2 reserve cluster as part of the wider Track-2 cluster selection process.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will issue project-specific feedback to (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful Track-2 expressions of interest.

Graham Stuart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 June 2023 to the hon Member for East Lothian to Question UIN 189401.

Energy: Prices

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for consulting on options for a new approach to consumer protection in energy markets after April 2024.

Amanda Solloway: As set out in the Autumn statement, the Government is working with consumer groups and industry to explore the best approach to consumer protection from April 2024, as part of wider retail market reforms.

Energy: Housing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to retrofit homes at risk of fuel poverty.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty. There are multiple targeted energy efficiency schemes in place delivering measures to low income and fuel poor households. Schemes include the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG).

Electricity and Natural Gas: Prices

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to decouple electricity and gas prices.

Graham Stuart: As part of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme, the Government is considering a range of potential options to shield consumers from theimpacts of potential future commodity price spikes and to ensure they benefit from lower cost renewables. The CfD scheme already insulates consumers against electricity price spikes. Over time this scheme will significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuelled power generation, lowering consumer exposure to gas prices.

Energy Charter Treaty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May to Question 186184 on Energy Charter Treaty, how many meetings officials in his Department have held to assess stakeholder views on the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: Officials have held meetings with a range of relevant stakeholders on the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) over the course of treaty modernisation negotiations and since ECT Contracting Parties reached an agreement in June 2022. This has included representatives across UK energy sectors, including fossil fuel and renewable sectors, as well as stakeholders across academic and non-governmental sectors.

Energy: Local Government

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 186793 on Energy: Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring local authorities to report on (a) whether they generate their own power, (b) how much energy they generate per annum and (c) the mode of generation.

Graham Stuart: Whilst the Government recognises the important role that local authorities play in delivering net zero, the Government has no plans to require them to report on energy they may generate.

Energy: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with energy companies on potential linage between the costs of green energy and of fossil fuels; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such linkages on the development of green energy.

Graham Stuart: Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-energy-security-and-net-zero. Data covering the 7 February 2023 until 31 March 2023 is due to be published shortly in line with Cabinet Office Guidance organisations are listed instead of individuals. Levelised Costs of Electricity for generation technologies are reported in the Generation Costs Report which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-generation-cost-projections. They compare the lifetime costs for a plant (construction, operating, and decommissioning costs) against its expected lifetime generation.

Energy: Debts

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the level of residential energy customer debt; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the implications for his policies of changes in the level of such debt in the last five years.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem publishes statistics on energy debt and arrears which can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/debt-and-arrears-indicators Ofgem's published figures show that domestic energy debt and arrears sat at around £2.3bn at the end of Q4 2022. The amount owed by domestic customers to suppliers has grown since 2021, although significant Government support with energy bills helped to bring debt levels down in Q4 2022, the latest quarter for which data are available.

Energy: Prices

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to encourage energy companies to ensure that retail prices reflect wholesale prices.

Amanda Solloway: It is common for suppliers to use hedging strategies to buy energy months in advance to protect their customers from some fluctuations in wholesale costs. Leading to a lag before lower prices feed through to consumers. Ofgem now sets the energy price cap every three months, rather than six months to reduce the lag and ensure changes in the wholesale energy prices are passed on to consumers more quickly.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Identity Cards

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timetable is for phase 2 of the veterans' recognition scheme roll-out.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Veterans’ Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase one is complete; with all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receiving a recognition card from the Ministry of Defence as part of their discharge process. As at the end of May 2023, there have been over 68,200 HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Recognition Cards issued as part of phase one. Phase two will extend access to the recognition card scheme to those veterans who left service before December 2018. The Government will be engaging with veterans over the coming months to participate in the testing phase and will begin issuing Veterans’ Recognition Cards by the end of this year.

Ministry of Defence: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Yes. Responsibility for delivery was taken over from the Department for Work and Pensions on 1 April 2022.

Ministry of Defence: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations The Ministry of Defence (MOD) had five commitments included in the National Disability Strategy. These included:1. By September 2021, the MOD will publish a plan to bring more disabled people into the civilian workforce to meet its target of 15.3% by 20302. MOD will explore how to increase opportunities for disabled people to serve as part of the Armed Forces reserves by the end of 2023, including:- promoting better use of disabled reservists for appropriate roles across the Armed Forces- guaranteeing interviews for disabled reservists who meet the minimum requirements when recruiting for those roles3. By 2025, MOD will deliver the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme to recruit more diverse military personnel, including disabled people4. We will experiment with the recruitment of more diverse military personnel into the new National Cyber Force, using it as a pathfinder for increased inclusivity5. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs will share best practice and insight from the veterans’ adaptive sport community with disability organisations and providers of sport and activity by March 2022Commitment 1, to publish a plan to bring more disabled people into the civilian workforce has been partly implemented. A plan is in development and a number of relevant activities have so far been identified and are progressing. We continue to monitor the effects of the actions, which will make Defence a more attractive, diverse and inclusive employer. Commitment 2, to explore how to increase opportunities for disabled people to join Defence, has not been implemented. Defence wishes to minimise the risk of acting inconsistently with the Court’s declaration, without compromising on the ambitious agenda we are delivering for disabled people. As such, we are disappointed to have had to pause the work on guaranteed interviews for disabled reservists. However, this does not prevent disabled people who meet the minimum requirements from applying to be a reservist. Our intent remains to contribute to the wider commitment of creating more opportunities for disabled people to participate and thrive across the whole Force, not just as reservists; to protect and promote the rights of disabled people; and to tackle the barriers that prevent disabled people from fully benefiting from, and contributing fully to, every aspect of our society. Commitment 3, to deliver the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme (AFRP) to recruit more diverse military personnel, is in the process of being implemented. The AFRP is responsible for the delivery of a new single, tri-Service, Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS). A key requirement of the future solution is placing candidates at the heart of the Armed Forces recruiting experience, keeping them inspired and motivated whilst recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to improve diversity and representation. A key tenet of the Programme is to establish an agile and flexible approach to meet the demand of the Armed Forces across roles and people requirements. The Armed Forces demand requirement is updated annually and will be delivered through the supplier and the AFRS working collaboratively. It will be fully implemented in 2027. Commitment 4, to use the National Cyber Force as a pathfinder for inclusivity, has been fully implemented. In 2021, the MOD announced a Cyber Pathfinder Scheme to increase inclusion in Defence. This is now open and trains and assesses military personnel joining the National Cyber Force. Commitment 5, to share best practice and insight from the veterans’ adaptive sport community with disability organisations and providers of sport and activity, was fully implemented before the High Court's judgement on the NDS was delivered.We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights, and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the MOD will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer. Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

HMS Iron Duke

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of the 2018 to 2023 refit of HMS Iron Duke.

James Cartlidge: The total anticipated project costs for HMS Iron Duke's Upkeep are approximately £103 million; this figure may be subject to a slight adjustment to reflect on-going negotiations with the contractor Babcock.

Hercules Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for C130J Hercules following its retirement.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 June 2023 to Question 188183, and my predecessor gave to the right hon. member for Bournemouth East on 16 March 2023 to Question 163730.Hercules Aircraft (docx, 18.4KB)Hercules Aircraft (docx, 17.9KB)

Army: Tanks

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tanks are in service with the Army.

James Cartlidge: 213 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks are in service with the British Army. This number reflects a reduction in platforms from the number quoted in the annual published statistics following the Granting in Kind of 14 Challenger 2s to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Army: Horses

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many horses are in service with the Army.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence currently has 497 serving military horses and three serving equine mascots. The in service total fluctuates as horses are purchased and retired.

NATO

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries UK personnel are deployed with NATO; on which (a) NATO and (b) domestic bases are they stationed; and at what levels.

James Heappey: The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, with personnel deployed over twenty-one countries. The number of UK personnel posted to NATO Peacetime Establishment locations (Table 1) and those deployed to NATO affiliated exercises and operations (Table 2) can be found below. Table 1 – UK personnel deployed within the Peacetime Establishment in NATO as of June 2023. Country OrganisationNumber of UK postsRank rangeBelgiumNATO HQ (Brussels)47OR4 – OF8BelgiumSHAPE (Mons)169OR4 – OF9BulgariaNFIU Bulgaria (Sofia)1OF3Czech RepublicHQ ARRC (Vyskov)1OF4EstoniaNFIU Estonia (Tallin)1OF4FranceNRDC HQ (Lille)10OR8 – OF6GermanyNAEW&C FC (Geilenkirchen)9OR6 – OF6Germany1 DEU NLD (Munster)6OR9 – OF5GermanyNATO School (Oberammergau)3OR6 – OF4GermanyAIRCOM (Ramstein)76OR4 – OF5GermanyCAOCUE (Uedem)17OR4 – OF5GermanyJSEC (Ulm)16OR4 – OF7Germany1 NSB Wesel (Wesel)28OR3 – OF3GreeceNRDC Greece (Thessaloniki)1OF3ItalyNHRFI (Milan)17OR6 - OF7ItalyJFCNP (Naples)124OR2 – OF7ItalyDACCC (Poggio)26OR2 – OF5ItalyNAGSF (Sigonella)6OR4 – OF3LatviaMND NE (Riga)4OF2 – OF5LithuaniaNFIU Lithuania (Vilnius)1OF3NetherlandsJFC Brunssum (Brunssum)109OR4 – OF7NorwayJWC (Stavanger)32OR6 – OF5PolandJFTC (Bydgoszcz)3OF4PolandNFIU Poland (Bydgoszcz)1OF3PolandMND NE (Elblag)2OR7 – OF4PolandMNC NE (Szczecin)2OF3 – OF4PortugalSTRIKFORNATO (Lisbon)14OR4 – OF7PortugalNCISS LATINA (Oiera)5OR7 – OR9RomaniaNFIU Romania (Bucharest)1OF3RomaniaMND SE (Bucharest)2OF3 - OF4SlovakiaNFIU Slovakia (Bratislava)1OR6SpainCAOCTJ (Torrejon)15OR7 – OF4SpainNRDC Spain (Valencia)2OF3 – OF6TürkiyeNRDC Turkiye (Istanbul)5OF4 – OF5TürkiyeLANDCOM (Izmir)34OR6 – OF5UK1NSB (Blandford)46OR3 – OF3UKCTC / NIFC (Molesworth)9OR7 – OF5UKMARCOM (Northwood)70OR4 – OF5UKJEWCS (Yeovilton)2OR2 – OR6USASACT HQ (Norfolk, Virginia)51OR4 – OF8USASHAPE Tampa (Tampa, Florida)1OF4 Total969OR2 – OF9  Table 2 – NATO affiliated operations and exercises with UK troops deployed as of June 2023.  SerActivityOutlineLocationNumbers Deployed1Op CABRIT EstoniaUK Contribution to NATO Forward Land Forces. (inclusive of Forward Land Forces, HQ CABRIT and Divisional Advisory Team).Tapa and Tallinn, Estonia8312Op CABRIT Poland SquadronA UK Light Cavalry Squadron integrated with the US Forward Land Forces, including National Support Element.Bemowo Piskie, Poland1334Op ELGIN BosniaStaff Officers embedded in NATO HQ Sarajevo.NATO HQ Sarajevo, Bosnia35Ex ARRCADE LEDGERHQ ARRC and 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team Exercise.NATO Forward Holding Base, Sennelager, Germany676 of which 43 are civilian contractors deployed through the Land Warfare Centre (LWC).5Ex JOINT COOPERATIONGerman sponsored NATO exercise.Nirenburg, Germany2   TOTAL1,678

Afghanistan: Interpreters

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to (a) recognise the contribution of civilian interpreters who worked for the Armed Forces in Afghanistan and (b) commemorate those who lost their lives because of their service.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence and the UK remains indebted to all Afghan nationals who risked their lives working for and alongside UK forces in Afghanistan. It is in recognition of this contribution and associated risk that the Government introduced the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme on 1 April 2021 to provide relocation or other assistance to Afghan nationals who meet the criteria set out in the Immigration Rules. As of June 2023, we have relocated over 12,200 people to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.

Ministry of Defence: EU Law

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds searchable IT archives (a) of Regulatory Impact Analysis estimates for EU-sourced regulation and (b) employing the search term out of scope relating to changes to regulatory burdens that could not be reviewed due to its EU origin.

James Heappey: No, the Department does not hold this information. Regulatory Impact Assessments are the responsibility of the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) in the Department for Business and Trade. The BRE however do not hold information relating to the impacts of EU-sourced regulations. Retained EU Law is currently being reviewed by each Department to consider whether it should be removed, kept or reformed.

Department for Transport

Public Transport: Greater Manchester

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of public transport services operating between Greater Manchester and Bolton.

Huw Merriman: Regarding train services, this was reviewed as part of the work of the Manchester Taskforce, which concluded that increasing the train lengths to meet capacity was the priority, rather than adding more services, as this would provide an improvement in operational performance. This was implemented as part of the timetable change in December 2022. The successful implementation of this timetable, which has significantly reduced delays within Manchester, is the first phase in the Manchester Taskforce programme. Last month this government announced a further £72m infrastructure package around Manchester Victoria to make train journeys for passengers more reliable in Greater Manchester. In addition, Network Rail are also electrifying the route between Wigan North-Western station and Lostock Junction near Bolton in a £78 million upgrade. Electrifying the route will complement the electrified line between Preston, Bolton and Manchester which was completed in 2019, and the project provides train operators with more operational flexibility to deploy trains to the Wigan and Bolton areas. With regard to local transport services, the Government has invested over £3.5 billion in buses and light rail since March 2020, including our recently announced package of up to £300 million to protect and improve bus services long-term. The Government believes that Local Transport Authorities, working closely with operators, are best placed to determine the shape and structure of their local transport network to deliver high quality services for passengers.

High Speed 2 Line: Contracts

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made a provision for a break clause in the HS2 Phase 2a Design and Delivery Partner contract; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Merriman: The Invitation to Tender for the HS2 Phase 2a Design and Delivery Partner was published on 13 January 2022. This set out the structure of the contract including the segmenting of the work into Service Delivery Plans. Following the fiscal settlement for Phase 2a for the next two financial years as agreed in the Spring budget, HS2 Ltd are advancing the DDP procurement and a tender addendum was issued to the parties on 31 May 2023. The plan is to award the contract in November 2023 commencing with Service Delivery Plan 1. Decisions on contracting subsequent Service Delivery Plans will be taken at the relevant point in the delivery of project.

Manchester Airport: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing the Stockport station to Manchester Airport station railway service.

Huw Merriman: The Manchester Task Force is leading on the development of future service options and infrastructure requirements to improve the performance, capacity, and connectivity of rail services in and around Manchester. The Department will make an assessment of any business case for extra funding it receives on this subject.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Technology: Licensing

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the Intellectual Property Office review of the standard-essential patent ecosystem on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in international trade, in the context of terms for licencing (a) 5G and (b) other technology standards.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises developing innovative products, do not have to pay excessive royalties to foreign companies for licences to standard-essential patents.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the outcome of the Intellectual Property Office’s consultation entitled Standard Essential Patents and Innovation: Executive summary and next steps, updated on 5 August 2022, what plans he has to consult Parliament on the potential impact of such steps on the (a) wider UK intellectual property economy and (b) ability of small and medium-sized enterprises’ to compete in the global marketplace.

Paul Scully: In December 2021, the Government launched a Call for Views on whether or not the current Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) ecosystem promotes competition and encourages innovation. In its August 2022 Summary of Responses the Government said that there was little consensus on the nature, extent, causes, and impact of problems in the ecosystem. A subsequent questionnaire was launched in March 2023, to better understand the experiences of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), small-cap and mid-cap businesses. A Summary of Responses will be published in Summer 2023. Findings on the SEPs ecosystem will be presented to Ministers in late 2023.

Three: Vodafone Group

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions the Government has had with Ofcom on the potential merger between Three and Vodafone.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the proposed Vodafone-Three merger.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of potential security implications of the proposed merger between Vodafone-Three.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the merger between Three and Vodafone on her Department's contracts with Vodafone.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the proposed Three-Vodafone merger.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the Three-Vodafone merger.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what implications the Three-Vodafone merger will have on that department’s current contracts with Vodafone.

Sir John Whittingdale: Ministers and Departmental officials regularly meet with Ofcom to discuss a range of telecoms issues.It is the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market of the proposed merger between Vodafone and Three, with input from sectoral regulators.The Government does not comment on specific mergers or acquisitions, which are subject to the UK’s stringent legal and regulatory requirements.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Access to Work Programme

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Mike Freer: Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant, administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.In April 2022, all government departments, including the Ministry of Justice, took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work for civil servants working in their department.The Ministry of Justice has not replicated the Access to Work Scheme but has increased the scope, volume and funding of its workplace adjustments provision for its staff, including an in-house workplace adjustment service. The department also provides adjustment support for candidates applying for roles based on their individual needs.The Ministry of Justice provides individual focused support, with similar aims to those of the Department for Work and Pension`s Access to Work Scheme, which is dedicated to fully supporting our people by ensuring they have workplace adjustments they require.

Ministry of Justice: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Mike Freer: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The Ministry of Justice had five policies included in the National Disability Strategy. These include to:○ attract more disabled people to the magistracy;○ set out enhanced rights for disabled victims;○ progress legislation in 2021 as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to amend common law so that deaf people who need a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter can do jury service○ develop a neurodiversity training toolkit for frontline staff;○ improve provision for disabled users, including through the accessibility of the estate and use of digital support.Fully Implemented PoliciesThe MoJ has invested over £1 million to support the recruitment of 4,000 new and diverse magistrates over the next few years in England and Wales. This includes encouraging more applications from a range of underrepresented groups in the magistracy, such as those with disabilities.The Victims’ Code sets out the minimum level of service that victims must receive from criminal justice bodies. In April 2021, a revised Victim’s Code came into force, structured around 12 key entitlements that are straightforward, concise and easy to understand.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 gained Royal Assent in April 2022 and the provision allowing BSL interpreters to be appointed for deaf jurors came into force at the end of June 2022.HMPPS have developed a ‘National Neurodiversity Training Toolkit’ that is available for all frontline staff within prison and probation. The toolkit was developed by and with neurodivergent staff, in cooperation with HMPPS and MoJ staff networks.HMCTS has awarded a contract to the organisation ‘We are Digital’ who are delivering a service to support digitally excluded citizen users’ access to online services. This is being delivered through a network of advice and support organisations such as Law Centres, Citizens Advice and community centres.MoJ is piloting digital tools to improve support for neurodivergent people and evaluate what works well to inform future interventions. This includes piloting a new digitised literacy tool aimed at improving outcomes for prison leavers with learning disabilities and low literacy. This pilot will run for 12 months until October 2023, with an emphasis on evaluating the reducing reoffending rate over time. We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the Ministry of Justice will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Social Security Benefits: Tribunals

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he has issued on the use of unlicensed doctors in his Department's tribunals.

Mike Freer: Medical Members principally sit on cases in the Social Entitlement and Health, Education and Social Care (Mental Health) and War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Chambers.Members of the Tribunals, who are not judges, are appointed by the Senior President of Tribunals under either Schedule 2 or 3 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Required qualifications for these appointments are specified in the Qualifications for Appointment of Members to the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal Order 2008, which sets out that a person who is not a judge is only eligible for appointment as a member of the First-tier or Upper Tribunal if they are, amongst other listed professions, a Registered Medical Practitioner. The Order also clarifies that a Registered Medical Practitioner means a fully registered person within the meaning of the Medical Act 1983, whether or not they hold a licence to practise under that Act. This requirement is included in the information for candidates issued by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for Medical Member recruitment. As part of the selection process, the JAC checks and validates each candidate’s registration against the General Medical Council’s online register.Following appointment, General Medical Council registrations are checked, at least annually, by the Tribunals as part of the appraisals process. All Tribunal Members, including Medical Members, are subject to the judicial conduct guidance issued by the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of the Tribunals, and are expected to notify the relevant leadership judge immediately of any change in circumstances.

Weddings

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report entitled Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law published by the Law Commission on 18 July 2022, HC 557, what steps the Government is taking to implement the changes proposed to (a) the conduct of legally binding weddings by (i) non-religious belief organisations and (ii) independent celebrants, (b) the locations in which people can get married and (c) other aspects of weddings law; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Freer: The Law Commission report contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform. We are taking the time to fully consider the report’s recommendations.Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We will publish a response to the report in due course.